


99 Ways To Say I Love You

by EVictoria



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 18:43:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5467094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EVictoria/pseuds/EVictoria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate's father had once told her that the eyes were the window to the soul. If that was the case, then Petronella Osgood must have a very beautiful soul.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Series of prompt-based ficlets, please do submit prompts either here, on fanfiction.net under the same name, or on tumblr at fandom-conquerer. If I haven't updated in at least two weeks, feel free to give me a metaphorical kick up the backside (or just, y'know, send me a polite message.) Please review with any corrections and/or suggestions.

99 Ways To Say I Love You

**ONE**

_prompt: Breakfast_

* * *

 

 

Osgood was the cook. Osgood was always the cook. That was just the way it was. She had a certain knack for choosing the right ingredients, and her skills with a spice rack were second to none. Kate loved to watch her in the kitchen; she'd sit on the table with a glass of wine, talking or just watching her girlfriend as she danced nimbly around the small space. The kitchen was Osgood's sacred place just as the garden was Kate's. The blonde loved just how at ease the younger woman was, with none of the fluttery nervousness that so often consumed her.

However, this morning was going to be different, Kate decided. And so she set her alarm for half an hour earlier than usual and put her phone under her pillow so as not to wake her girlfriend. When the time came, she silenced it quickly. Leaning over the bed, she kissed the brunette on the cheek, then padded quietly out of the room.

Entering the kitchen, she pulled one of Osgood's many cookbooks down off the shelf. Thumbing through it, she found what she was looking for with relative ease. She pulled the ingredients out and made a start.

~.~.~.~.~

40 minutes, two burns, one cut and a lot of mess later, Kate Stewart stood (panting as though she'd just chased away a Cyberman invasion) staring triumphantly at her creation.

And this was how she was when Osgood found her two minutes later.

"Kate?" She approached cautiously.

"Ah, Osgood! Happy Thursday!" The blonde grinned widely.

"Am I dreaming?" Osgood asked, only half joking.

"Oh, ha ha!" Kate rolled her eyes. "Is a woman not allowed to make breakfast for her girlfriend?"

The brunette smiled at her efforts. "Of course she is, I was only winding you up. It looks lovely!"

The thing about working for UNIT was that you learned to lie quite spectacularly.

Kate smiled proudly, unaware.

Osgood took a deep breath and used the knife and fork to bring a piece of the (was it omelette?) to her mouth. Chewing slowly, she did her very best to stop her face contorting as the sheer volume of salt assaulted her taste buds.

"Well?" Kate was looking at her expectantly, her eyes full of hope. Osgood choked down the food in her mouth and smiled softy at her girlfriend.

"It's wonderful, really. I love it!" It was worth it just to see the older woman's eyes light up.

~.~.~.~.~

She finished the breakfast that day - and the next - and the next. How could she not, when she was rewarded with that dazzling smile that seemed to make her girlfriend's whole face light up every time?


	2. 99 Ways To Say I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate's father had once told her that the eyes were the window to the soul. If that was the case, then Petronella Osgood must have a very beautiful soul.

99 Ways To Say I Love You

**TWO**

_prompt: Christmas_

* * *

 

 

Kate Stewart was awake - at 5am - on a Saturday - and she was not happy about it.

"Kate! Kate! Kate! Come on, wake up! **_Kate!_** " Osgood was bouncing on the bed far too energetically for such a time in the morning and prodding her girlfriend.

"Go _away_ , Osgood!" Kate moaned and rolled over.

The rule was - unless the world was ending, the head of UNIT didn't go into the office on Saturdays. (However, Kate found herself frequently going in on Saturdays anyway - aliens seemed to like weekends.) No-one argued with this rule. They all knew better.

Until now.

"Kate Stewart, you are needed urgently at the Tower of London on official UNIT business, Ma'am, Code Red!" Osgood barked authoritatively.

This had it's desired effect.

The blonde shot out of bed, already at the wardrobe pulling out a suit when she stopped and turned around slowly to glare at her giggling girlfriend.

"Petronella Osgood, did you just-?!" Her eyes glinted dangerously until she took in the massive, radiant smile on the brunette's face.

Unable to keep the smile from creeping onto her own face, she suddenly figured out what it was that was making her excitable puppy of a girlfriend so happy so early in the morning.

Before she could say anything, Osgood burst out:

"Happy First of December!"

Kate laughed heartily at the excitement rolling off of her in infectious waves.

With surprising strength for someone so small, Osgood took the taller woman's hand and dragged her downstairs.

Kate's eyes widened in shock as she took in the sheer volume of boxes in their living room.

She turned to the woman next to her, whose face was lit up.

"How about breakfast first?" Kate suggested, her deep brown eye twinkling. "It looks like we've got a busy day ahead of us."

~.~.~.~.~

As Kate was unpacking the ornaments carefully, Osgood's job was putting the tree up, and fixing the lights on it.

This was proving to be somewhat trickier than originally expected.

"You need to put them round the top, Oz!" Kate was calling from her comfortable spot on the floor, surrounded by yards of bubble wrap.

"I'm trying!" The shorter of the two exclaimed as she reached up on tip toe to try and loop the fairy lights round. Then-

"O-aaah!" She flailed wildly as she felt herself tipping over, which only succeeded in getting her even more entangled in lights and tree branches. She toppled into the tree in a mess of limbs, branches and fairy lights.

Kate's laughter was uncontrollable as she rolled around on the floor, clutching her sides.

"Oh my God, Osgood!" She cried, snorting with laughter.

Osgood tried to pull herself up off the floor, before her legs slipped on some more lights and she landed back down with a thud.

Kate's laughter increased in volume and hysteria.

"Kate!" Osgood shrieked as she tried and failed to push the tree off of her.

When Kate made no move to either help or stop laughing, Osgood searched for the nearest bauble and threw it in her girlfriend's general direction.

"Oi!" Came the response through the giggling.

"Little help?" Osgood prompted the blonde, who seemed to think that the image of her girlfriend stuck in a Christmas tree was the funniest thing ever.

Kate did help eventually.

...But not before she'd had two more laughing fits.

~.~.~.~.~

"Up a little! No, no not _that_ up! Down! Down a little bit more! No, Kate, now that's too low!" Osgood was shouting orders up to her girlfriend, who was halfway up their house on a ladder, fixing their outside lights above the door.

"For gods sake, Osgood, be more specific!" Kate shouted back in frustration.

"Alright, up two more bricks and you're good!"

"Really? I'm not even sure if I can reach that high!"

"No, no I'm definitely sure two more bricks will be perfect!"

"Fine!"

Kate leaned up as high as she could on their small ladder, feet at the very top, stretching up to attatch the lights-

"There!"

Just as the lights were in place, Kate's left foot slipped slightly and-

"Aah!"

"Oomph!"

"Fuck."

"Jesus Christ, Kate, get off me, you weigh a ton!"

"Sorry."

"Bloody hell."

"Thanks for breaking my fall."

"Any time, really."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"Yes."

They both got to their feet, dusting themselves off. They stepped back, admiring their handiwork.

"You know, I think it would have been better two bricks lower."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Ow."

Rubbing her arm, Osgood followed the blonde back into the house.

"Hey, Kate!"

"What?"

"I didn't expect you to fall for me so quickly."

"Shut up you idiot!"

~.~.~.~.~

It was a little later on, all the decorations had been put up. the mistletoe hung over the door (that had been fun), the star put on top of the tree (Kate had had to lift Osgood up to reach to prevent another catastrophe), and the floor had been vacuumed (there had been an epic tinsel fight - no, war - resulting in rather a lot of mess).

Osgood was in the kitchen busying herself with making dinner and Kate was in the other room relaxing with a glass of wine.

"Silent night..."

Kate heard it so quietly she almost thought she'd imagined it.

"...holy night..."

No, it was definitely there.

"...all is calm..."

Kate got up and walked silently over to lean on the door frame.

"...all is bright..."

She watched her girlfriend moving around the kitchen, listening to her sing softly to herself, unaware that she was being observed.

"...round yon virgin, mother and child..."

Kate had only ever heard her sing a few times, when she was in the lab on her own, too wrapped up in her work to notice that anyone else was in there.

"...holy infant, tender and mild..."

Kate watched, entranced, as the woman she loved moved around gracefully.

"...sleep in heavenly peace..."

The woman she **loved**.

"...sleep in heavenly peace."

It was the most beautiful sound Kate Stewart had ever heard.

~.~.~.~.~

It was after dinner, and they were sat on the sofa with a bottle of wine. Kate was curled up around Osgood, and the brunette was running slender fingers through her hair. The radio was playing slow Christmas songs in the background. A peaceful atmosphere had settled over the Osgood-Stewart household.

"Oh, I nearly forgot!" Osgood pushed herself up suddenly, dislodging the blonde.

"What?" Kate asked curiously.

"Be back in a minute!" She called as she darted out the room. Kate heard her footsteps running up the stairs and to the spare room. Then the footsteps returned, thundering down the stairs.

"Inhaler!" Kate shouted. She heard the tell-tale puff of the inhaler, before the steps continued.

"Since it's now officially the countdown to Christmas, I thought it only right that we get the traditional chocolate a day!" Osgood walked in brandishing two advent calendars.

"Oh, you sweetheart! You didn't have to!" Kate smiled softly.

"Yeah, but I wanted to!" Osgood grinned as she sat down in her previous spot.

"What make are these?" Kate asked as she accepted her calendar.

"I'm not sure, I got them from that little chocolate shop just off Carnaby Street." Osgood replied airily. Kate didn't question her further. They placed the calendars side by side on the mantle.

Osgood turned round to face her and they stood for a moment just smiling at each other.

Then Kate reached out her hand as the song changed to an old one, a song that everybody recognises but nobody knows.

The brunette took the proffered hand and smiled softly as her partner pulled her closer and took the lead in a slow, clumsy dance around the living room. Lazy kisses and gentle grins were exchanged as they fell ever more in love with each other.

~.~.~.~.~

Twenty-four days later, and the magical Christmas haze had yet to lift from the house.

Kate woke to find her girlfriend gazing at her in the pale sunlight streaking through the blinds.

"Morning," she sighed contentedly as she blinked a few times to allow her eyes chance to adjust.

"Morning," Osgood replied, a large, soft smile on her face.

"You seem happy. Something I should know?" Kate asked sleepily.

"Happy Christmas Eve." Osgood grinned in response, skilfully dodging the question.

"Mmm, you too."

Osgood pulled her in for a long, sweet kiss that made Kate's world stand still and fireworks explode in her mind.

Then it was over and the brunette had slipped out of bed before Kate had fully registered what was going on.

"Osgood!" Kate called after her as the door closed. When no reply came she sighed and pulled herself out of bed, following her downstairs.

When she walked into the lounge, there was no sight of her girlfriend, but her advent calendar was laid out on the foot stool in front of her. Curious as to why Osgood would have left it out for her, Kate picked it up. Only one little square was left, with the number '24' on it. In the back of her mind, the Brigadier's daughter briefly registered that it was heavier than it should have been.

Slowly sliding her finger under the door, she pulled it open, to reveal something that made her jaw drop, her eyes tear and her heart stop.

A ring box.

She took it out carefully, her hands shaking, opening it to find a note:

_turn around_

She did so slowly, and the sight before her took her breath away.

Osgood, down on one knee, holding a simple diamond ring up to her. A tear rolled down her face.

"Kate Lethbridge Stewart, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" Osgood asked, her own eyes tearing up.

Kate brought a hand to her mouth as she cried.

"Oh my god..." she whispered. "I- I don't know what to say." She couldn't believe that the woman before her actually wanted to marry her.

"Please say yes," Osgood breathed.

"Yes! Yes, of course yes!"

Osgood smiled, and a warmth spread through Kate like a fire ignited on the first day of winter. She felt, rather than saw, the ring being slipped onto her finger.

Osgood stood up, taking Kate's face in her hands, and kissed her slowly, deeply, desperately, trying with all her heart to convey just how much she loved her. They were both still crying and it was teary and sweet and beautiful. When they broke apart, Kate looked the other woman - her _fiancee_ \- in the eyes, trying to pour all her emotions into three words.

"I love you."

"And I love you too."

And then they kissed again. Worlds could have imploded, cities could have fallen, wars could have raged, but neither would have known or cared. In that moment, nothing else mattered but each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for Mathilde (RightHandWoman on AO3 and zygon-and-human on tumblr) because she has an actual ring that she uses for Kate/Osgood proposals, which is both awesome and adorable.


End file.
